Broken Egg: new breakfast-brunch-lunch joint opening in May

Thu, 04/28/2016 - 12:15pm

Story Location:
421 Main Street
Rockland, ME 04841
United States

    ROCKLAND — You know what they say: you can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs. For Heather Symmt, a Camden resident, this is something to keep in mind as she prepares to open her first restaurant, Broken Egg at 421 Main St., formerly the site of Comida Restaurant on May 18.

    An accountant by trade with a passion and degree in baking and pastries, Symmt looked around for two years, before landing the what she saw as the perfect spot for her breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant.

    “I looked at a number of places, but once I saw this place it was the perfect fit,” she said.

    Having snagged Chris Clark, the former chef of The Hartstone Inn to run the kitchen, while she manages the front of the house, Symmt is confident their skills will mesh well.

    “It’s going to be your basic breakfast and lunch staples with an added flair,” she said.

    The menu is still being built, but will include perennial favorites such as eggs Benedict with house-made speck and hollandaise, as well as inspired offerings such as carrot cake pancakes with toasted hazelnuts and maple mascarpone.

    “We’re trying to appeal to all crowds,” said Clark. “We’ll definitely do seasonal stuff and add brunch specials to push the scale a little bit more.”

    Clark said they will source as locally as possible. “We’re talking with a couple of smaller farms now,” he said. Their coffee will come from Bold Coast Coffee based in East Machias.

    “Chris made a steak and eggs the other day that was phenomenal,” she said. “And we’ll have beignets. We’re also going to offer flatbreads. We’re testing out the menu right now with a flatbread that had arugula, candied bacon and Brie.”

    Currently, the kitchen is being reconfigured and the restaurant space repainted gray and neutral colors with retro Mason jar lighting. Downstairs, where the group seating was located, Symmt ripped out all of the carpeting and added more lighting to brighten the windowless room.

    “I’m hoping this will continue to be a communal room for larger parties,” she said.

    As a mother of a toddler herself, she knows how hard it is to bring children into a small restaurant space, so she’s dedicating an area by the stairway for children’s tables and games. “If a parent can have a place for the child to go and play while he or she is eating, that would be ideal.”

    Stay tuned to Broken Egg’s progress and opening day on Facebook.


    Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com